Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledges $100m for home aged care

Ken Wyatt open to cameras in nursing homes

VideoSecurity cameras could be placed in all aged care rooms after shocking video of abuse in Perth was made public

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will today commit an extra $100 million to supporting seniors who want to continue living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.

The funding for lower-level home support places, to be delivered over two years under the Commonwealth Home Support Program, comes just weeks after Mr Morrison warned Australians to brace for “bruising” revelations from a royal commission on the aged-care sector.

He will make the announcement alongside Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt in his marginal electorate of Hasluck, as Mr Morrison looks to use his three-day Perth visit to build support for Federal Government MPs in five key seats being targeted by Labor.

Mr Wyatt said the funding injection would help expand five vital home services that were relied on by hundreds of thousands of people, including meals, transport and household jobs such as cleaning and laundry and home repairs and modifications.

“This is about giving senior Australians more certainty, more options and more independence,” he told The West Australian.

“Our Government is committed to giving senior Australians as many choices as possible to remain living in the security of the homes they love, close to their families and connected with their communities.”

About 1600 providers deliver home support services to 800,000 clients across the country under the CHSP, which tailors support to a senior’s individual circumstances and preferences.

The new funding is understood to be part of a growing Government focus on home care, for which demand is growing much faster than for places in residential aged-care facilities.

An increase of 14,000 home-care places was announced in the May Budget, but more than 121,000 people remain on the waiting list for financially assisted aged care at home.

According to the Government, three-quarters of those waiting are getting assistance, but at a lower level than they require.

Mr Morrison and Mr Wyatt are likely to face questions about bullying at their appearance in Guildford today, as Mr Wyatt’s ministerial office comes under investigation over alleged bullying of a senior female staffer by another staff member.

The matter is the subject of an independent inquiry by the Department of Finance.